The Luck of the Cards
by DaniCali28
Summary: The adventures of the Spade Pirates before they joined Whitebeard's crew.
1. Romance Dawn

Nineteen years after the words that have since driven countless fearless men to the seas in search of the treasure beyond anything they could possibly imagine had been spoken; a new generation of eager adventurers flooded into the seas in search of the greatest treasure the world has to offer, the One Piece. That man who, in his last breath accepted his own fates, smiled, and with the words that resonated through the waters and shook the very foundation of the World Government, set in motion the Great Pirate Era. Now, not two decades have gone by and a young pirate from the East Blue has set out on his own journey to the Grand Line in a quest to acquire the One Piece and claim the title King of the Pirates. Seventeen year-old Portgas D. Ace, the captain of the Spade Pirates, and son to the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger has gathered up his crew for their entry into the worlds' best ocean. With the Grand Line in sight the newly formed crew makes their trek out of the calm waters of the East Blue and into the tumultuous sea known best as the "pirate's graveyard."

"Captain Ace, why are we stopping here?" one of his subordinates asked as he scaled the main mast up to where his young captain had been reclining.

"We need to gather supplies. We're heading to Reverse Mountain as soon as we stock up, and I'm not sure how long it will be before we dock at our first island in the Grand Line." The relaxed captain replied, not even bothering to take his eyes of the ocean before him to acknowledge his crew member.

"Aren't we going to stop at Loguetown? It's much closer to Reverse Mountain after all." The young pirate continued to probe his superior.

"An outpost for Marines and other rival pirates getting ready to test their own luck on the Grand Line, no thank you." The captain chuckled with a tip of the brim of his hat to block the afternoon sunlight from his eyes.

"But captain, don't you want to see the place where this era started; the place where the Pirate King was executed?" The scrawny caramel-haired youngster continued to beg; dissatisfied with his hardheaded captain's decision.

"Where not here to go sightseeing Izzy. We have no use for such trivial matters, our focus right now need to be on getting into the Grand Line. We can set our sights on a bigger prize once we get there. We're going to claim this era as our own." Ace declared with a slight smirk emerging from the shadow cast by his beloved hat.

The pirate captain hoisted himself up from his comfortable position in the crow's nest and proceeded to climb down to the deck where the majority of his relatively small crew resided. "Drop anchor here." The youth ordered still gazing at the vast ocean before him.

"Aye-aye captain!" his subordinates resounded ardently and promptly obeyed their captain's orders.

"Alright men, don't get too comfortable, we won't be staying here long." The young skipper began addressing the bewildered looks on the faces of his crewmen. "We're stopping here only to get supplies. We are going to leave here as hastily as we can, I'd like to be sailing the waters of the Grand Line by sundown"

With a nod of his head the pirate dismissed his crew unto the town and descended from the dock of his ship to the rocky waters below.

"Stock up on whatever you think we may need until we reach the first island of the Grand Line, but keep it only to the essentials. Our ship is small, she can only hold so much. I will be inquiring about a more sufficiently sized vessel once enter the Grand Line, we are bound to find a skillful shipwright somewhere on that ocean. Now, I must see a man about a log pose." The captain added as a final piece of advice to his novice crew before setting them loose into the town.

The raven-haired captain strolled through the lively marketplace en route to the naval supplies store, within mere seconds the effect of the atmosphere took hold. He was overcome by the decadent aroma of the various outdoor eateries that slowly drew his attention away from the task at hand.

"_Log pose first, dinner later."_ The suddenly hungry adventurer told himself as he came upon the shop he had been looking for.

He pushed open the wooden door and entered the small store, causing a bell to chime and recognize his presence. He was welcomed by the sound of the cheery voiced man behind the counter who had been doing inventory when the captain arrived. "Splendid afternoon good sir, what can I do ya for?"

"I seem to be in need of a log pose, might you have one by chance?" the captain inquired in his usual respectful manner he'd grown accustomed to using around unfamiliar adults.

"You're in luck my good man, we just got 'em in today. They're right over there." The shopkeeper directed the young man's attention to the display on the far left wall of the store. "With this 'Great Pirate Era' under way it's hard to keep 'em stocked!" the merchant let out a deep, husky chuckle, defined by his advanced age.

"Thank you sir." Ace bowed towards the name before turning his attention to the display housing his item of interest.

The bell at the front of the store rang once more and an elegantly dressed connoisseur entered the store and sauntered up to the front counter. He removed the cigar from his mouth and extinguished the flame in the ash tray before making conversation with the man behind the counter.

"Did you hear of the latest tumultuous events occurring in the New World?" The socialized casually.

"Aw, there's always something happening in those violent seas, you'd have to be a brainless fool to get involved with those affairs." The shopkeeper shook his head; seemingly uninterested by his guest's tales; as he busied himself with the stock in the back.

"Well, that new generation of rookies has just flooded in and I hear they're making quite a ruckus." The suave man remarked, igniting another cigar and after a long drag releasing a steady stream of smoke into the air.

"Ah yes, the Devil's Five, well, we all knew they'd be trouble, especially that one group. What're they calling themselves nowadays; the Blue Phoenix Pirates." The owner casually engaged the man in his casual conversation, more concerned over pricing the latest shipment of spyglasses.

"Yes, the rowdiest bunch of the whole generation with a mythical zoan using captain." The man paused for a moment to take another drag on his cigar. "Did you hear what happened to them?"

The man withheld his story as to piqué the shop owner's interest. "No, what?" he asked suddenly drawn into the story. He set aside his work, now enthralled by what his visitor had to say.

"That rag-tag bunch of lunatics tried to take on the devil himself." The guest chuckled darkly; the fumes from his cigar encircled his face, obscuring his features from the young pirate secretly observing them.

"Really, really and truly? Ha, what became of the poor young fools?" the shopkeeper questioned, now intensely focused on his visitors story.

"What do you think happened?" The urbane visitant responded insensitivity with his cigar still in his mouth. "They were annihilated by the Whitebeard pirates. They don't call him the strongest man in the world for nothing."

Ace, who had observed the entire conversation was needless to say intrigued by what the man had to say. _"Strongest man in the world huh? Well, we'll just see about that, won't we Whitebeard."_ The adolescent pirate captain plotted to himself, his future course of action.

"I heard that the old man incorporated the survivors into his crew, and rightfully so. If they were reckless enough to challenge him to a fight and strong enough to fight him and live to tell the tale then they must be worth keeping around for something." The man guffawed at his own statement pulling out another cigar and offering it to the storekeeper.

"Nah, I try to stay away from 'em." He muttered, declining the man's offer."

"Well alright, suit yourself." He shrugged and returned the item to the inside pocket of his sport coat.

"So that's it then, for the Blue Phoenix Pirates. One down, four to go."

The other man nodded in agreement "But I can guarantee that this isn't the last we've heard of Marco the Phoenix." The man stated only then acknowledging the presence of the young pirate.

"Yeah, it ain't every day you come across someone with as powerful an ability as a mythical zoan." The shopkeeper remarked and both the men exchanged low chuckles as Ace returned to the counter of the store, log pose in tow.

"And do you intend to pay for that sir?" the store owner questioned suspiciously as he eyed the youth up and down.

"Uh-" Ace was cut off by the fearful stammers of the other man in the store.

"Y-y-y-your th-that local rookie, the one with the twenty-five million beri bounty on his head!" The man cringed, his complexion went as white as a the smoke surrounding his face.

"Huh?" The pirate captain was left utterly dumbfounded, unaware of his gained infamy due to his endeavors in the East Blue.

"I knew I recognized that face from somewhere." The shopkeeper exclaimed from behind the counter. "I just never thought such a big name would come to this little backwater town."

The two adults trembled in fear before the young captain. "You must be mistaking me for another." The young pirate tried to explain. As far as he knew, there was no bounty on his head, especially not one as high as twenty-five million.

"Take whatever you want!" Please, anything you want, just leave our town in peace. It's been years since our last pirate attack, please. Anything you want, it's yours. Anything in the whole store, you can have. Just please leave our little town in peace!" the man pleaded to the utterly confused captain.

"But we're not attacking, we just need to gather supplies for out voyage-" The captain again tried to elucidate but was cut off by their dreadful cried.

"Please, anything from the store, it's free of charge if you just don't cause any harm to the citizens, pirate!"

The two grown men cowered in fear at the apparently foreboding appearance of the freckle-faced seventeen year-old.

"Even this log pose?" The pirate raised his eyebrow at the owner.

"Yes, yes, it's yours." The storekeeper appeased out of his tremendous amount of fear for the young captain.

"Keep him calm!" The other man advised "Give him anything he wants. I've heard he's quite violent!" the visitors legs quaked at the sight of the smiling young pirate captain.

"Really? Gee, thanks mister!" Ace grinned widely and eagerly shook the owner's hand. "I owe ya one!" He added before exiting the store.

The two men let out long awaited sighs of relief as they watched the young pirate walk away. "I can't believe we saw the latest big name rookie to come from this blue, Portgas D. Ace." The posh man expounded as he dabbed the beads of sweat; that had accumulated on his brow; away with the once perfectly folded handkerchief from his pocket.

"Should we warn the rest of the citizens?" The store owner questioned reaching for a den-den mushi to contact the local authorities.

"No, that will only fuel his rage, don't be fooled by his youthful appearance, I've heard some dreadful stories about him."

The merchant relinquished the den-den mushi hesitantly. "He is the one who brought an end to that tyrants reign back in the waters of Sandomico."

"Then should we contact the navy?" the shopkeeper again probed.

"The navy is always busy with the steady stream of pirates flowing in and out of Loguetown, we've always taken a back seat to them. I'd say just let him go and hope he keeps his temper under control. He and that first mate of his, they're bad news, let's just hope no one crosses them the wrong way."

"I'm contacting Naval HQ and telling them of his whereabouts; perhaps they'll send someone as well and stop him from causing more trouble in the Grand Line." He announced picking up the den-den mushi which gave him direct contact with Navy Headquarters.

"I bid you well sir." The mysterious visitor took his leave.

"_Hello, who is this?" _A gruff voice greeted the man's call.

"Yes, hello, Vice Admiral Garp, this is Benedict, I'd like to report the whereabouts of a certain pirate."

* * *

**A/N: **This story is pretty much all the adventures of the Spade Pirates, as well as some of the events of happening in the Grand Line before the current storyline. I figured since almost all of the history of the Spade Pirates is unknown I may as well write it ^-^

This will NOT change any canon plotlines, it is meant to be what happened before, and slightly during the current storyline. If it interferes with anything we learn in the future, well I am sorry, however I think I'm pretty safe.

This story will not have any romance or pairings, it's just the adventures the Spade Pirates had.

Disclaimer, I do not own One Piece of any of it's characters, however I do own my OC's.

Going along with that, OC's are both accepted and encouraged since I have a whole crew to fill and a lot of the Grand Line to see, I also take requests if there are any characters you'd like the Spade Pirates to encounter, but it has to be within reason. Like if we know that the characters never met then I cannot incorporate them.

Rated T for violence and language, just in case.

Benedict comes form Benedict Arnold.

Lastly, thank you for reading, your viewership is much appreciated.


	2. Cloverpeak Island

Ace walked down the street searching for a place where he could grab a quick bite to eat. He slid the log pose on his wrist and stared at the needle sitting completely still in the middle of the orb. _"The Grand Line's within reach now. Here I go Sabo, wish me luck. I had always hoped we'd both be searching for the One Piece" _he jostled the sphere around on his wrist as he contemplated his future adventures in the Grand Line. With his number one priority completed he now had time to find himself a meal. The town may have been small but there was an ample amount of restaurants for the young pirate. He let his stomach guide him to the nearest eatery.

He promptly sat himself down on one of the wooden stools against the counter. "Can I get you something?" the lone cook asked him as he stirred some kind of spice into what Ace could only assume was a kind of soup .

"Ramen." The pirate ordered. Every time he would have the dish it would instantly bring him back to all the wonderful times he had spent with his two brothers throughout his peculiar upbringing.

As the chef began to cook his meal the smell immediately hit the young pirate. He could almost smell the same ramen cooking as he had so many years before. It was their best dine and dash scheme to date and he was convinced that it was the best ramen he had ever had. Possibly it had been sweetened by sensational saccharine taste of friendship; no matter the reason; it was well worth the four story drop to escape capture. The pirate would gladly do it again if he was given the chance. Accompanied with this happiness the reminiscent qualities of the scent also triggered the unpleasant memories associated with that land he had left not so long ago.

For the young captain the glimmers of sorrow served as a reminder to him off just how quickly time passes. It had been seven years since the life altering incident that claimed the life of his dear friend and brother, though everything seemed so recent, as if just yesterday the three of them had been together scrounging for menial funds from the lowest common denominator of society, saving for their pirate fund, causing mischief and getting into trouble, just as little boys should. This made the pirate wonder just how long it would be until he would see his brother again. This, along with the looming reminder that in just a mere three years his little brother would be setting off to sea in his footsteps to test his own strength on the Grand Line.

He feared for his little brother. It wasn't that he was weak, but he was by no means in any condition to be aiming for the goals he had set. But convincing the cheeky boy otherwise proved to be an impossible task. He wondered how the boy would manage without him there to help and protect him.

The cook placed the bowl of noodles in front of the pirate and turned to attend to the other customers in need of his service.

Ace instantly slurped down his meal and promptly left the stand. "Another successful meal" he snickered to himself as he hurried down the crowded avenue.

"Hey, you have to pay for those!" the disgruntled shouted but the pirate captain was already out of range of hearing him.

_(~)~(~)~(~)Marine Base(~)~(~)~(~)_

"_Ace, I always told you to become a marine, why would you disobey me?"_ Vice Admiral Garp slammed his fist against the desk _"family is family, but he's still a pirate and I'm a marine, there are no excuses. I raised him as best I could but the little brat wouldn't listen."_ He got to his feet and collected himself to address his men.

"What's the matter Vice Admiral Garp, sir?" A young ensign as he handed his superior his jacket and cap.

"Nothing special, Marciavin, just a disturbance of the peace. Tell the boys to get suited up, we're heading to Cloverpeak Island; we have pirates to apprehend."

"Who sir, the East Blue's been rather quiet lately, there are only a few prominent crews."

"The Spade Pirates,"

"The one with the captain worth twenty-five million beri?"

"That's right, we're stopping them before they can do any more harm." He averted his eyes and looked out the window, recounting his past. Where had he gone wrong? Why had none of the people he ever cared about listened to him?

"Vice Admiral, is something the matter?"

"No, now hurry up we have to catch these pirates, if we don't get their soon they'll be gone. They're captain may be hardheaded and unwilling to back down from a fight but they'll be gone before we can even get there if we continue at this pace."

"Aye-aye sir!" he eagerly left the room to deliver the boss' orders to the other marines.

_(~)~(~)~(~)Cloverpeak Island(~)~(~)~(~)_

Ace continued down the street, passing the various groups of mothers shopping with their children, young couples swooning over each other; completely oblivious to the rest of the world going on around them; and the village adolescents who congregated in mass herds on the street corners against the walls of the sturdy brick buildings that lined the west side of the street. The sound of the vendors selling their fares filled the air, mixing with the cheerful coos and of children galloping throughout the marketplace, on missions sent from their mothers to fetch the ingredients for that night's meal.

It was the kind of place that the pirate captain could never settle into. He was not accustomed to the typical family dynamics, and it was not something he'd ever be able to live in. Despite the liveliness of the marketplace the town was at peace. It seemed as though it hadn't saw any sort of action in years, and that fact alone made the people here happy. They thrived off of the serenity of their quaint little village.

The satisfied captain strolled down the cobblestone street past a weathered brick wall cluttered with town notices and flyers containing important information and local wanted posters. As he walked passed a particular poster caught his eyes "well, what do ya know?" the pirate smirked triumphantly at the crisp sheet of paper acknowledging him. "Wow, would you look at that, twenty-five million, just like they said!" He chuckled, admiring the impressive bounty on his head.

Twenty-five million was no mere child's play, that amount alone would attract the attention of both the marines and a plethora of local bounty hunters. For a first bounty the figure was even more outstanding, and a first bounty of that caliber in the East Blue was all the more obscure. For a mere seventeen year old to gain that kind of infamy in such a short time without the aid of a devil fruit was something even more remarkable, if not unbelievable.

The captain ripped the poster of the wall as a souvenir to show his crewmates, if he was getting this much attention from the Navy it wouldn't be long until they too were getting recognized. Ace chuckled and continued down the street, nothing could ruin this day for him, and he was convinced that by night he would be in the Grand Line.

The Spade Pirates hadn't been a crew for very long but had already worked up quite a reputation. They were known for their quick, blitzkrieg like attacks. Even though they had only been at sea for two months they were the talk of the entire East Blue. Any two-bit dreamer and their mother knew who they were.

Ace sat down on a bench near the common area for a rest. Not thirty seconds later the captain was out like a light

_(~)~(~)~(~)Marine Base(~)~(~)~(~)_

"Vice Admiral Garp wake up!" the ensign shouted attempting to wake the old man.

"Huh, what?" The elder marine asked with a confused look on his face "oh, I fell asleep again."

"Come on Vice Admiral Garp, sir, we need to catch the pirates!"

"Bwahahaha!" The navy hero laughed at his subordinate's puppy like eagerness. "You really wanna see some action don't you boy?"

"Yes sir, it'd been my dream to join the marines ever since I was young."

"Bwahahaha, you're still young, kid." The man chuckled as he patted the young marine's back.

"Vice Admiral, all the men are suited up and ready to go." Another one of his men reported saluting the veteran marine.

"Alright then, prepare the ship and set our course to Cloverpeak. When we get there are you ordered to find the pirates and circle the ship, but do not attack anyone. I have special business there." Garp turned from his subordinates and headed to his ship.

"_Ace, why would you go down this path? You were supposed to become a strong naval officer. Why would you want to follow in your father's footsteps?"_ the marine was conflicted. He didn't want to have to fight his grandson, he wanted to keep the promise he had made to Roger to keep him safe but there was nothing he could do if the boy had chosen a life of crime over the virtuous one of a marine, or so he justified.

He boarded his vessel and waited for his men. He wouldn't let any of them, other than he himself, cause any harm to Ace. He could care less about the other rotten bastards serving on his ship. It was their fault that their grandfathers hadn't been there to steer them in the right direction.

"Should we set sail Vice Admiral?"

"Yes."

"Aye-aye."

The marine was in no way looking forward to this fight, as he usually was when it came to stopping pirates, and he feared that his men would be able to sense that. How much shame it would be if they found out he was related to pirates. It was bad enough that the Fleet Admiral already knew about his family.

_(~)~(~)~(~)Cloverpeak(~)~(~)~(~)_

The Spade Pirates were new to the scene, the talk of the entire town, but that didn't make them any big deal. In the grand scheme of things they were nothing more than local rookies. Thousands of pirates with that kind of reputation were annihilated daily on the Grand Line. It was truly the world's best ocean. Despite knowing this Ace would never be convinced otherwise. He was born a pirate, raised a pirate, and he already knew that he would die a pirate.

* * *

**A/N: **I sincerely apologize for my lack of writing, I had an insane week homework wise. it was the end of the quarter and I guess that means assign as much work as you possibly can. I will try not to ever have that length of time between my chapters again.

Next chapter will tell some of the past of the Spades and how they formed and stuff, he'll meet up with Garp with in the next few.

Nope, don't own One Piece, only my OC's.

if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them, OC's are both accepted and encouraged.

Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing!


	3. The New Pirate Crew

It had only been a mere two months since Ace had begun his journey out to sea. After departing from Dawn's Island he immediately sought out a crew. He found one such crew on a small logging island not far from where he had grown up. He landed his small ship there unexpectedly after he had fallen asleep while trying to sail into The Grand Line. One docked he encountered a group of so-called undesirables; the urchins of the backwater town; nothing more than petty thieves and criminals; misfits; outcasts; and whatever other label an average citizen saw fitting. Regardless of what they were called and what their reputation dictated, Ace identified with them immediately upon their encounter.

He promptly invited the group aboard his ship to join his crew, to which the young men readily agreed. There was virtually no other place for them to go; nothing for them to do. In the town where they had been living they were nothing more than wasted space. This agreement marked the formation of The Spade Pirates.

The band of thieves was led by a young man by the name of Jack. He was only slightly older than the captain; at the age of twenty-one. He and the captain immediately took to each other; they shared many common traits. Jack's mother had died when he was only eight year old, and his father had never been a part of the picture. Though like the captain in many way ways he did not share with him the same short temper, in fact he was rather, calm, level headed, and rational. He was more relaxed when it came to the situations that would set off his hot headed captain. Though the obvious ring leader, he was of then one more able to keep the other boys in his gang of ruffians under control. Jack quickly became the first mate of the Spades; he was undeniably qualified for the position. A great fighter with an astonishingly strong will. Though exceptional in hand to hand combat, his weapon of choice was a blunted spear-like object he could easily maneuver. Despite these credentials the captain saw him fitting for one reason and one reason alone, the immense amount of trust he could place in the man. Ace found him very trustworthy and responsible; for someone who led a gang of thieves that is. Jack was able to handle the more daunting tasks aboard the ship; this would prove to be useful if the captain was ever stricken with one of his frequent bouts of drowsiness.

Jack was accompanied by five other boys. Ren, a nineteen year old runaway who had escape the oppression and volatile nature of his home land. He did not much like discussing the events of his past. When asked he would only respond with "if you focus on your past then you can't change your future" he was a quiet individual, not one to take to many people. He would often busy himself with another matter rather than joining the rest of the crew with the various activities they were pursuing at any given moment.

Luca was twenty-four year old dockhand. He often worked the menial tasks given to him by the higher ups who worked on the harbor. Though severely underqualified he had a knack for ship building. Unfortunately, because of his upbringing this talent was never harbored.

He worked the docks for most of his life in order to care for his younger brother, Izzy. Izzy, by this time was a fourteen year old. He had grown up on the docks with Luca as well as their father. However, a tragedy stuck the family rendering their father unable to work. This left the task of provider up to Luca. He also became the primary caregiver to his younger brother.

Growing up without much parental intervention the two learned to fend for themselves. They became very resourceful over the years; always knowing how they could meet there needs if they ever came up short. Their means of achieving this however, is what gave them a bad name in town.

After the death of their father these menial crimes became worse. In fact, if it hadn't been for Jack the two would have ended up in prison for the audacity of one such crime. Though growing up this way surely had a negative impact on their demeanor, they also learned very useful skills. They learned how to support each other and other necessary means of survival. Throughout this time; with Luca working on the docks for an inadequate pay; Izzy picked up the chore of cooking. For such a young age he was an extraordinary chef. Knowing this, Ace knew that the kid would fit well into his crew.

In addition; the boys were accompanied by a twenty-three year old weapons aficionado by the name of Ryder. He was well versed in knowledge of any sort of weapon; he was also rather skillful in wielding a sword and proficient in the usage of most sorts of firearms. Ryder was the quiet type; with short dark hair and a tall, muscular stature. He was hardly the sympathetic type but his ability to perform any task involving manual labor rendered him a valuable asset to the young crew.

The final member was a studious individual. Damon did not have any sort of physical talents to contribute to the crew; but his cognitive abilities outperformed anyone else on the crew as of their formation. Though lacking a formal education his mental capacity made him useful. Ace felt that he would benefit the crew greatly as he displayed a rather vast knowledge of the sea and the Grand Line itself.

Much to the luck of this newly formed crew the main export of the logging island was lumber; making it easy for them to obtain a ship suitable for sailing through the east blue and into the Grand Line. The shipwrights of the island were decently skillful in their own right; and their connections with Luca made them much more apt to build a small vessel for the new pirate crew.

"You realize that this is a crime. If you get caught helping us in such a manner the government may come after you?" Luca explained to his superiors whom he had entrusted the task of creating an appropriate liner.

"Do you realize that what you're getting yourself into is a crime, Luca?" His elders chuckled

"That's never stopped me before. When have I ever been concerned with the legality of my actions? I've always done what I seem best for myself and for Izzy."

"Exactly, and we've been here to look out for you. If this is the best option for you we will fully support it. The rest in town won't, but since when have they mattered?"

"Thanks, now I have one more ridiculous request for you."

"What do you need?" the men he had grown up working for eagerly asked; ready to volunteer their help to him at nearly any cost.

"Is it at all possible that you could have the ship built by tomorrow, so we can make our departure before running into any of the townspeople?"

"Now Luca, you know how ship building is a delicate art. It requires a valiant amount of intercut detailing and designing. It is not something that can be rushed." The long haired boss explained looking over the size of the crew "but we'll see what we can do."

Because of the new captain's desire to get into the Grand Line as soon as possible the shipwrights were only granted one day to build the ship. Though a fine art indeed the shipwrights were determined to finish the job and set their long time employee and his crew off to sea. Likewise, in the back of their minds they had always longed to build a pirate ship. It had a far different make up from the usual dinghies they were used to building.

The ship was no very large, nor was it much different from a conventional vessel; however it was more than enough for the crew. Both the captain and the crew knew that its main purpose was to carry them into the Grand Line; not to say it wasn't a significant step in the history of the Spade Pirates.

Shortly thereafter the new pirate crew began its journey towards the Grand Line. With no particular destination in mind they sporadically stopped at islands. They had only seen small glimpses of action throughout these visits, that was the case until they reached the quiet waters of Sandomico where they received their first taste of action; and a look forward to what they could be expecting upon entering the Grand Line.

* * *

**A/N: **Again, I sincerely apologize for the utter tardiness of this chapter; I have been occupied by my school work. it's annoying and I'd much rather be doing this but I can't so I am sorry. I'll try to work more this weekend while I don't have virtual mountains of coursework to complete. thank you guys for understanding and I promise to be more active with this.

That being said; this chapter doesn't have much depth; just to introduce the other members of Ace's crew. Yes, Jack. I couldn't resist another card reference. so as of right now this is what I have the positions set as:

Jack-first mate

Luca- shipwright

Izzy-cook

Ryder- sniper (right now he's acting as both a swordsman and an sniper but I want to incorporate a swordsman in the future)

Damon- intelligence (he doesn't have an actual role per say; he just knows a lot about the ocean, but I wouldn't consider him the navigator)

that being said I still most definitely am accepting OC's. positions still open for the spade crew are a navigator and a swordsman (maybe a musician, if you want, that's cool), but if you can think of any other members that's fine as long as you can tell me what it is they do. just give me a brief physical description and power, back story if you want (note, if you don't include that I will take my own liberties with that) you can leave the in the review section or PM me, either works. I also need rival pirates, any specialized marines, and the other members of Ace's generation. as of now I only have on created and I have no clue how many there will be.

thank you guys again for your continued support; I don't own One Piece.

Thanks for reading and reviewing =]


End file.
